Thoughts from the Field - Issue #9 - December 2011

What is Your First Team?
By, Jeff Gibson, VP of Consulting Imagine a group of professionals who meet virtually every day to try and resolve the biggest problems our society faces. Now, imagine that same group of people more concerned about the people they represent and their own self–interest than they are about society's most pressing concerns. This is what often occurs in places like Congress and the United Nations. Officials advocate for their own political interests first and foremost, and the greater good takes a backseat. Team #1

With the best of intentions, this very same phenomenon occurs within companies.

Thoughts from the Field - Issue #8 - October 2011

Develop Loyalty to Maintain Trust
By, David Ross, Principal Consultant If you are a sports fan, chances are good that you have seen tension mount between teams to the point that benches have cleared and players had to be restrained by referees and coaches. Perhaps you have even seen players from the same team get angry at each other for losing their cool and jeopardizing a possible technical foul. The one thing you never see is coaches from the same team taking swings at each other.

Thoughts from the Field - Issue #7 - July 2011

The Case of the "Me Player"
By, Glenn Lyday, Principal Consultant They lurk among us. In our office buildings, on the soccer field, in our churches, sometimes even over the phone lines. Their very presence can eat away at your life in ways that very few other beings can. They've been called aggravating, annoying, acerbic (among other words that begin with the letter 'a'), but they've also appeared on the covers of both Fortune magazine and Sports Illustrated, proving that even they can be successful given the right environment.

Thoughts from the Field - Issue #6 - May 2011

The Answer to Doing More with Less
By, Pam Bilbrey, Principal Consultant
It’s a tough world out there. The economic downturn has become our reality and with it the business environment has grown even more complex, more volatile and more uncertain. We're continuously challenged with what seems like contradictory priorities in our efforts to: generate significant growth while managing costs; create a differentiated customer experience, yet reduce the resources needed to serve the customer; maximize technology to gain efficiencies, but retain that personal touch; standardize, yet customize.

Thoughts from the Field - Issue #5 - February 2011

Three Common Ways to Derail the Tactical Meeting
By, Michael Lorsch, Principal Consultant
Recently, I was in a meeting with a person who said, “Meetings are such a royal waste of my time; I’d like my job so much better if we could eliminate them altogether.” As he said that, I began to wonder... Would he feel the same way if the meetings he attended were high impact decision-making sessions, where team members engaged in passionate debate and were compelled to make and keep commitments? Probably not. The meeting structure unveiled in Patrick’s book Death by Meeting has taken root in literally thousands of companies all over the world.

Table Group consultants share their insights on how Pat's models work within organizations.